Transition Play: Attacking & Defending in a 6+1 vs 4 Rondo

Elevate your team’s attacking and defensive transitions with the dynamic 6+1 vs 4 Rondo drill! This versatile session, designed for players aged 12 and above, injects a dose of intensity into your training, honing crucial skills in just 25 minutes.

Let’s delve into the drill’s organization, process, and variations:

Organization:

• Mark out a rectangular playing area – 20 meters x 15 meters (adjust size based on age and skill level).
• Divide your players into two teams: a possession team (6 players – Blue) and a pressing team (4 players – Red).
• Introduce a “joker” player who can switch sides depending on ball possession.

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Drill Process:

1. Possession Initiation: The drill starts with the Blue team (6 players) and the joker maintaining possession against the Red team (4 players) inside the designated rondo area.
2. Maintaining Possession: The Blue team focuses on keeping the ball moving with quick and accurate passing, utilizing space effectively.
3. Red Team Wins the Ball: If the Red team successfully wins the ball from the Blue team, an attacking transition is triggered.
4. Attacking Transition (Red): The joker immediately switches sides and joins the Red team, creating a temporary 5 vs 4 attacking scenario. The Red team attempts to score against the remaining Blue players.
5. Blue Team Attack: Once the Blue team completes a set number of successful passes (e.g., 10 passes) without losing the ball, or upon the coach’s signal, they initiate an attacking transition.
6. Attacking Transition (Blue): The joker switches sides again, joining the Blue team for a 6 vs 5 attacking scenario against the Red team. The Blue team aims to score on the Red team’s goal.
7. Reset and Repeat: After a successful attack or a turnover, the drill resets. The team that conceded the goal restarts the possession phase depending on who won the ball.

See full drill in video below to better understand it:

Coaching:

• Sharp Passing: For the Blue team, emphasize crisp and accurate passing during the possession phase, maintaining a high tempo.
• Quick Recognition: Encourage Blue players to recognize transition triggers (coach’s signal or successful pass completion) and react swiftly to switch from possession to attack.
• Space Exploitation: Highlight the importance of exploiting available space during attacking transitions for both teams (Red and Blue).
• Defending Shape: For the Red team during Blue’s possession phase, emphasize maintaining a compact defensive shape and closing down passing lanes.
• Attacking Creativity: For both teams during attacking transitions, encourage creative movement and passing to create scoring opportunities.

Variations:

• Limited Touches: Introduce a variation where the Blue team has a limited number of touches (e.g., 2 touches) per player during the possession phase, promoting faster decision-making and movement.
• Directional Attacks: Instruct the attacking team (Blue or Red during their transition) to focus on attacking from specific areas of the field (e.g., bylines) to challenge them to adapt their attacking strategies.
• Increase/Decrease Rondo Size: For younger or less skilled players, increase the rondo size to provide more space for ball control. For older or more advanced players, decrease the size to intensify pressure and passing accuracy.

Related Post: Dynamic Rondo 5 vs 3 to Transition 4 vs 3 (Crossing & Finishing)

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